National and local leaders of the Vietnam Moratorium Committee yesterday denied rumors of a split in the Fall anti-war movement, but confirmed their plans to stage community peace drives separate from the nation-wide March on Washington November 15.
Speaking in Cambridge yesterday, the Vietnam Peace Action group (PAX) said they will hold a two-day Moratorium on November 13 and 14 in support of immediate withdrawal of U. S. troops from Vietnam.
In conjunction with the Moratorium, the group said it will organize more extensive neighborhood canvassing on those days to educate the "grass roots" about the reasons for withdrawal.
In announcing the plans, however, Moratorium spokesman, Everett I. Mendelsohn, professor of the History of Science, denied that the local campaigns were an attempt to keep people away from the March on Washington.
The Boston Globe reported Saturday that a closed meeting of Massachusetts leaders and Moratorium chairman Sam Brown agreed not to give full support to the March on Washington November 15 because it might alienate "Middle Americans."
The Globe said that the Moratorium Committee disagreed with the extensive anti-war platform of the march and feared that the more radical Student Mobilization Committee (SMC) would exert too much control in the march organization.
Mendelsohn said the separate demonstrations were "completely compatible." He added, "The SMC has gotten this underway, and we are not trying to usurp the planning of this group."
The theme of the Massachusetts Moratorium will be "Bring the Congressmen home."
In addition to canvassing, PAX said they will:
try to get all businesses in the area to close on Friday, November 14.
conduct a series of clean-up projects to demonstrate the number of domestic programs left unfinished by high military spending.
hold church services, vigils, and encourage ringing of bells through the day Friday.
wear black armbands in mourning for American soldiers killed in Vietnam.
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